


Day Two: First Day/Night

by Authoranna



Series: Comfortember 2020 [2]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Comfortember 2020, F/M, look this was written to procrastinate homework it could be better if I took time, slightly unhealthy conversation methods, talk of death, time jump back to the beginning of the season
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:14:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27380263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Authoranna/pseuds/Authoranna
Summary: It's Enterprise's first night as a vessel of exploration after returning Klang to Q'onoS. Charlotte Watson has some fears about her relationship with Malcolm Reed.
Relationships: Malcolm Reed/OFC
Series: Comfortember 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1999417
Collections: Comfortember 2020





	Day Two: First Day/Night

The comm panel in Lieutenant Malcolm Reed’s quarters beeped once, an incoming call unexpected at a late hour. He grumbled as it beeped again, standing up to stagger to the panel and press the button to answer.

“Lieutenant Reed. What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry; did I wake you?” Charlotte asked from the other side of the line. The armoury officer didn’t justify that with a verbal response, simply grunting with a very British sound of contempt. “Nevermind. Sorry, Lieutenant. Good night.”

“Wait. Charlie, what is it?”

“I just wanted to talk. We haven’t had a chance to talk since we started this mission; we’ve both been so busy between going to Q’onoS and then starting this exploration right after. I think we need to talk, Malcolm,” Lieutenant Watson replied softly.

“Don’t wake your bunkmate; you know where to find me.” He palmed the comm off then, not waiting for a response. His door chimed a few minutes later, and he reached over to open it before going back to sit on his bunk.

Charlotte followed him in to his quarters, the door sliding shut behind her with a hiss. She pulled the chair from his desk over towards the bed, sitting down slowly.

“How are we going to do this?” She asked. “We knew we were both going to be on this crew months ago. It worked before because we were the same rank, and it was easy to keep it a secret when we were on Earth. But now, there’s less than 200 people on board, and you outrank me. Our relationship could put the ship in danger,” Charlotte rushed out quickly, her hands twitching in her lap before she sat on them to keep herself still.

“We do this the same way we did before, Charlie, one day at a time. It’s only the first day of our mission to explore space,” Malcolm answered, watching her eyes. “Like you said, we knew months ago we would be on this crew together.”

“But what if something happens and you have to choose between the ship and me? What if there’s some emergency in engineering and there’s hostile aliens and you can’t solve both problems?” Charlotte stood up quickly, her dark hair swinging in its braid behind her as she moved. “I don’t want to be a liability and put the ship at risk; you’re the armoury officer, a bridge officer. I’m just an engineer. Don’t choose me over the ship.” Tears formed in her eyes, and she wiped at them violently as she stared down at the Brit.

“Love, sit down. If I promise to let you die if you’re taken by aliens, will that make you feel better? Captain Archer doesn’t believe in leaving anyone behind; I doubt I’ll have to make that decision any time soon.” 

“But what if you do?” 

“If there’s one thing I know about you, Charlotte Eleanor Watson,” Reed said as he stood up to face her, “is that you have more fight in you than any wildcat or animal I’ve heard of on any number of planets.” He grabbed her hands, forcing her to stop and look at him. She had to look up to meet his eyes, though there wasn’t a large difference in height between the two. “I’m sure that you will never cause me to choose between you and my duty to the ship; you’re my duty too.”

“Which is why we can’t do this anymore, Malcolm. I can’t be your duty when you have almost 200 other people you have a duty to also. I’m sorry; I wish there was another way.” She pulled her hands out of his grasp, taking a step back. “I’m sorry.”

She turned around, walking out of his quarters as he stared numbly at her retreating form. As she stepped over the threshold, he grabbed her arm to pull her back in. She tripped on the lip of the door, crashing onto the floor in his quarters and landing on top of him.

The engineer stood up, trying to untangle herself from him, but he kept a hand on her arm. He wrapped his arms around her, keeping her from leaving.

“Charlotte, look at me. Look at me, Watson. You’re not doing this because you think I can’t prioritize between _Enterprise_ and you. What’s really going on?”

She turned in his arms to look at him, tears streaming her face. “I don’t want to watch you die because you try to save me and put yourself in danger! The ship needs you, Malcolm!” She hissed. 

“Love, love, hush.” He let go of her then, not moving back. “I promise, as long as we are on duty, I won’t give you preferential treatment. That’s how we did it all this time before; that’s how we’ll keep doing it. You won’t be anything more than another crewmember, another engineer, but I won’t choose to let you die or be hurt, not anymore than I’d choose it for any other person. But that means I outrank you when we’re on duty; you can’t try to save me either, not if it puts you at risk or I order you not to.”

“Fine. Now that that’s settled, Lieutenant, can you please hold me?”

“I don’t know, Watson, that might be preferential treatment,” he joked. He did as she asked though, tucking a strand of hair that had come loose from her braid behind her ear as he did.

“I don’t want to lose you, Malcolm,” she whispered against his chest.

“You won’t. I won’t let you.” 


End file.
